"Instead of complaining at the way things are, i prefer to imagine the way things could be and invest in that " J.F.Kennedy"
Ecovillages in the media
Ecovillages have featured prominently in two recent distinguished publications.
The Worldwatch Institute’s prestigious State of the World Report has the theme ‘Innovations for a Sustainable Economy’ for its 2008 issue. This includes a chapter of Sustainable Communities, with a heavy focus on ecovillages.
The current issue of The Ecologist in the UK carries a 6-page feature on ecovillages.
Both of these can be accessed and downloaded here: Articles on Ecovillages.
EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT ECOVILLAGES AND PROJECTS VIA PUBLICATION
| |
| |
"Ecovillages: A Model Life?"
by Laura Sevier
(548kb pdf)
The Ecologist
May 2008.
|
More people are turning to eco communities as a viable alternative to urban life. Are you nature-starved, lonely, and fed up with the materialism, stress, waste and pollution of modern urban life? If so, rest assured that the craving to live a greener life in a community, more connected to each other – and to the Earth – is entirely natural. It has a primal appeal. |
| |
"Worldwatch Institute - Engaging Communities for a Sustainable World"
By Erik Assadourian
(480 kb pdf)
Worldwatch Institute
2008 Annual report. |
...In the middle of this car-centric infrastructure—what some might call “sprawl”— lies a little green oasis: the Los Angeles Ecovillage (LAEV). This community, two small apartment buildings with about 55 residents, was started in 1993 as a demonstration project on how a community can transform its surroundings, helping to create a sustainable society. |
| |
"From Eco-Kooks to Eco-Consultants"
By Jonathan Dawson
CM 137 (384kb pdf)
Communities Magazine
Fall 2007. |
After decades of being more or less off the radar—dismissed as kooks and freaks—ecovillage initiatives around the world are now increasingly affecting mainstream culture, and in fact, ecovillages are being sought out as partners by conventional, mainstream organisations. |
| |
"The Power of Community
- the path to surviving Peak Oil"
By Jonathan Dawson
PM54 (940kb pdf)
Permaculture Magazine
Winter 2007. |
Jonathan Dawson investigates how green ecovillagers really are. - Footprints are suddenly all the rage. As recently as four or five years ago, mention of the term evoked blank stares – now carbon calculators abound and even the proverbial ‘man in the street’ seems to have a fair idea of how many planets we would need if everyone in the world enjoyed the average West European lifestyle. (The answer is about three and nearer five and a half were North American lifestyles to become the global norm.) |
| |
"Children and Cohousing - The Birth of an International Social Movement"
By Hildur Jackson
PM 52 (636kb pdf)
Permaculture Magazine
Summer 2007. |
Pioneer of the cohousing movement, Hildur Jackson, describes the positive implications of this 40 year experiment and how it all began.
Do women have a choice? In 1969 I was sitting in my new house in Copenhagen with my two bouncing baby boys of six and 18 months. I had just finished my law degree and was speculating over what my life would be like. Should I seek a career as a lawyer or civil servant, and leave the children in daycare with strangers for many hours every day? Or should I give up my career and stay at home caring for the children? There was no apparent third option. |
| |
"COHOUSING - Alan Heeks explores why cohousing can radically reduce your carbon footprint – and make you happy."
By Alan Heeks
PM52 (996kb pdf)
Permaculture Magazine
Summer 2007. |
Imagine a lifestyle that is really sustainable for people and the planet. What would it look like? Low environmental impact of course, but what about human needs? Many of us want some sense of neighbour-hood, and our independence. We want comfort, fun, affordability – and a clear conscience.
Cohousing is a form of housing provision which can enable all this. It’s little known in the UK, but well proven in Scandinavia where it started, and now in North America. Whereas communes and bender settlements may be low impact but only suit the dedicated few, co-housing is a form of sustainable living with much wider appeal. In Denmark, where it started, 5% of all households are in cohousing communities. |
| |
"How Ecovillages Can Grow Sustainable Local Economies"
By Jonathan Dawson
CM133 (200kb pdf)
Winter 2006. |
In contrast with most local economies around the world, ecovillages tend to display a distinctive and uncommon level of vitality. One sees bakeries, theatres, shops, and cafés that draw in visitors from far and wide. Local organic cheeses, wines, fruit, and vegetables combine great quality with low food mileage (meaning the food was sold to customers a relatively short distance from where it was grown). Crafts studios turn out beautiful ceramics, textiles, carvings, and candles. Schools and training centres for both children and adults flourish. Publishing houses, printing presses, manufacturers of solar panels, waste-water system designers, consulting companies… |
| |
"A Tale of Two Therapeutic Ecovillages"
By Jonathan Dawson
(556kb pdf) |
Why create an ecovillage? It entails a huge amount of work and, anyway, isn’t the creation of new settlements the responsibility of the state and the private sector? Perhaps – but sometimes, an idea comes along that is so big and so inspired that it takes a new, self-built community to hold it. Such ideas tend to centre on the concept of service. |
| |
"Permaculture and Peace in the Middle East"
by Sarah Irving
PM 49 (320kb pdf)
Permaculture Magazine
Autumn 2006.
|
Sarah Irving describes a new programme which brings together
British and Palestinian Fair Trade organisations to highlight the role of
sustainable agriculture in supporting livelihoods in the West Bank. |
|
International Coordination
GEN International's role is to support the Network's global agenda internationally, to coordinate the activities which are launched across the world, and to assist them in gaining exposure and momentum.
Since June 2001, the GEN International Secretariat has been organized into three Regions, each with its own area of international coordination.
Clickable Map to go the Region's Homepages
|
|
|
|
|
GEN Oceania and Asia
Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands
Contact person: Max Lindegger
59 Crystal Waters
65 Kilcoy Lane
Conondale Qld 4552
Australia
Tel. +61 7 5494 4741
Fax +61 7 5494 4578
eMail: genoa@genoa.org.au
|
Ecovillage Network of the Americas (ENA)
North, Central and South America
Contact person: Linda Joseph
64001 County Road DD
Moffat, CO 81143 USA
Tel./Fax 719 256-5003
eMail: ena@ecovillage.org |
GEN Europe
Europe, Africa and the Middle East
Contact person: Jonathan Dawson
Findhorn Foundation, The Park
Moray
Forres IV36 3TZ
Scotland
Tel. +(44)-(0)-1309-69244 (Office)
eMail: jonathan@gen-europe.org |
|
GEN South East Asia
Contact Person: Jonggon Duangsri
31 Chiangmai - Lamphun Rd.
Tamboon Watkeat
A. Muang
Chiangmai 50000 Thailand
Tel. +66 53 247374, +66 53 241504
Fax: +66 53 241504
eMail: info@chiangmaigreen.com |
Contact person: Giovanni Ciarlo
Apto.111
Tepoztlan, Morelos
MEXICO 62520
Tel (011) (52-739-395-5077497
OR
Cherry Ave • P.O. Box 811
Watertown, CT 07695 USA
Tel. 860 945-0056
Fax : 860 274-0724
eMail: giovanni@ecovillage.org |
Contact person: Michael Anderau
ZEGG Ecovillage
Rosa Luxemburgstr. 89
14806 Belzig • Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 33841 44766
Fax. +49 (0) 33841 44768
eMail: info@gen-europe |
Ecovillage Network links:
|
The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) links and supports sustainable settlements |
An Ecovillage is a community of people
who strive to live sustainably |
Ecovillage and network news & publications |
Directory listings of
ecovillages around the world |
Listings for sustainability-related
publications, organizations, experts |
Find and take part in ecovillage and sustainability related courses, seminars or festive events |
Live in an ecovillage for a day, a month or more and learn about sustainability hands-on |
|
The links with 
are the examples given on the Guide.
Ananda World Brotherhood Colonies (United States, India, and Assisi, Italy). www.anandacommunity.org & www.yoganandarediscovered.com/jaitruth/skWBC.html & www.anandauniversity.org/curriculum/building.html
Spiritual communities inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda.
Arcosanti. www.arcosanti.org
The Ark (Communautés de l'Arche). (In French). www.lanzadelvasto.org
The Ark (Communautés de l'Arche): Addresses. www.inti.be/ecotopie/comarche.html
Asociación Gaia - Ecovillage Project (Argentina). www.gaia.org.ar/english & www.geocities.com/RainForest/8155/english.htm
Ecovillage. (In English and Spanish).
Auroville (South India). www.auroville.org
Beauchamp (Dordogne, France). www.beau-champ.com & beau.champ.free.fr
In English.
Blue Heron Farm Intentional Community (Pittsboro, North Carolina). bhfarm.org
Country community.
Bruderhof Communities. www.bruderhof.org
Cohousing Association of the United States. www.cohousing.org
Cohousing is the modern approach to reclaiming a traditional village lifestyle where rich, intergenerational relationships, cooperation, and sustainability are the norm.
Communautés (Communities). (France, Belgium, etc.). www.inti.be/ecotopie/communau.html
Some communities: The Ark, etc.
Community Bookshelf. store.ic.org/community-bookshelf.html & web.archive.org/web/19990220164151/http://www.crl.com/~eastwind/bookshlf.html
Useful (and often hard to find) books on intentional community, sustainable living and alternative culture.
Dreamtime Village. www.dreamtimevillage.org
East Wind Community (USA). www.eastwind.org
EcoVillage at Ithaca. www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us
Eco-Villages (Archive). web.archive.org/web/20031228184817/http://www.utexas.edu/depts/grg/ustudent/gcraft/fall95/issues/westphal/village/village.html
Links.
Edge of Time (UK). www.edgeoftime.co.uk
Books about communal living ("Diggers & Dreamers"), etc.
Global Eco-village Network - GEN. gen.ecovillage.org
Global Eco-village Network - GEN: Search Ecovillages. php.ecovillage.org/php/public/evdir/evsearch.php?lg=1
Database of communities all over the world.
Grishino (Russia). www.grishino.ecology.net.ru
Ecovillage. Shared work, meditation, ecology, etc. In English and Russian.
Magic (Palo Alto, CA). www.ecomagic.org
Ecology, etc.
Meadowdance Community Group (Vermont). www.meadowdance.org
Including articles by Luc Reid: "What is an intentional community?" and, in Resources, "Intentional Community Success Guide". Also, Questions and Answers, etc.
New Creation Christian Community: Links to Christian Communities. www.newcreation.org.uk/nccc/links_index.shtml
Permaculture International: Global Directory. www.permacultureinternational.org/globaldirectory/globaldirectory.htm
Directory of permaculture establishments and ecovillages: Internships, site visits, volunteering...
Plants for a Future (UK): Communities and Eco-villages. www.pfaf.org/links/linksOld1.php#COMM
Links.
Redfield Community (England). www.redfieldcommunity.org.uk
Réseau Français des Eco-Villages (France). www.rama.1901.org/ev
Servants of the Cross. www.servant.net
An ecumenical Christian community whose members have pooled their lives for prayer, evangelization and service to the poor in Maine and Haiti.
Sustainable Communities Information (Canada). www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/SCN/SCN_home.html
WWW Resources on Alternative and Utopian Communities. faculty.plattsburgh.edu/richard.robbins/legacy/utopia_www_resources.html
Directory.
Yahoo!: Christian Intentional Communities. dir.yahoo.com/.../Christianity/.../Intentional_Communities
Directory.
Yahoo!: Intentional Communities. dir.yahoo.com/.../Intentional_Communities
Directory.
Google Groups: alt.co-ops - Cooperatives.
Google Groups: alt.housing.nontrad - Nontraditional housing: Communes, co-housing and alternative living arrangements.
world: GEN ecovillage
European eco village networks
People in action
eco-village ARDESH
Eco-village Essenia
DIRECTORY US
CLICK HERE FOR THE NORTHWEST ECO VILLAGES LINK
![[Index]](uparrow.gif){kind=small}
![[L'Arche: La Borie Noble]](la-borie.jpg)